1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to garments, and more particularly to warm and comfortable garments for covering the feet and legs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous types of articles have been developed to cover and enhance the comfort of the human foot and leg. For example, medically related stockings such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,605,122 and 3,828,369 are in common use. Various designs of shoes and socks are well known, as are cast covers such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,416,518. U.S. Pat. No. 1,457,590 shows two pieces of material sewn together to form a stocking having a seamless heel. It is evident that none of the mentioned kinds of clothing articles combine warmth, comfort, and low cost.
Warm and comfortable footwear is very important to those many people whose feet have a tendency to feel cold even when the rest of the body is comfortable. Knit or crocheted booties are commercially available, but they are expensive and cover only the foot and ankle. Relatively warm long stockings are also available, but invariably they include elastic material to hold the stocking in place. The elastic restricts the blood circulation within the feet and legs, thus making the feet feel cold and cancelling the benefit desired from wearing the stocking. Further, known stockings are not readily adjustable so as to fit comfortably without binding on people having different sized legs.
Thus, a need exists for a warm and economical stocking that is comfortable to different size wearers.